Posted By: Mr_Willie_Cicci
How did ANY of the Capos/Soldiers respect Michael? - 11/09/12 06:11 PM
After Vito is dead, how is it that ANY of the Capos or Soldiers respect/fear Michael? All he is, until he really proves himself with the Massacre, is the Bosses son, who was appointed Acting Boss simply because he was the Bosses son.
He never did anything truly of significance within the Family; Yes, he murdered the Turk and McClusky, but any button man could've whacked them.
Unlike Sonny, he never associated with any of the Muscle end of the Family. Sonny had a crew of sorts and came up within the Family as it grew, at least during the War, likely guys who knew, liked and were picked by Sonny himself. Michael has Al Neri, but it's not the same as being a Capo for years or being in a crew.
Think about it this way: Tessio and Clemenza probably knew, worked with and brought up the members of their crews through the years, schooling them, and in this way created a bond, a relationship of sorts, with them. A mutual respect. Michael never had that. He went from being a civilian to being Acting Boss pretty much overnight in Mob terms. He never ran any rackets or showed he had any merit to be Boss.
Michael was also seen as being a bit of a goofball, at least prior to his killing the Turk. Everyone, even Tom, laughs at the idea of Michael killing Sollozzo and McClusky. He's not at all taken seriously. His saving grace was his cleverness--"put out that in the papers McClusky was a dirty cop involved in the rackets who simply got what he was coming to him"--But he was not street smart.
It's just amazing how none of the Capos or Soldiers wouldn't be the least bit pissed off that for all their years of service and loyalty, they'd be passed over for the Bosses kid son, the guy with the least amount of seniority and service rendered. You could say Tessio's betrayal was a sign of him being angry at being passed over, but I don't see his betrayal as being borne out of anger but out of perceiving Michael as weak and feeble, surely to bring about the death of the Family, due to his actions as Acting Boss. Even Michael understands that from all appearances--in the eyes of the Mob world--it's the smart decision. Tessio would be saving his Family from a seemingly inept Boss, becoming Boss himself, and possibly preserving some of the Family's strength in the process.
I mean putting Tom Hagen in as Consigliere was questionable, in Mob terms, but Tom showed enough dignity, intelligence and respectability to become accepted by the others as Consigliere. He showed that he had the merit to be Consigliere by the time Vito had died.
Michael's a guy who probably, while being vastly intelligent, has little to no street smarts. He's not a guy who came up on the streets and hustled and racketeered his way to the top; He's a college guy who I don't think would understand the world of a Willi Cicci or a Rocco.
I can't see Michael ever going out on collections or having bookies lay numbers on games for him, or simply buddying around with his Capos and Underlings.
Compare the way his father is viewed--Almost as a God by his Capos, and as a brother to his Consigliere--to the way Michael is viewed. He's not one of THEM. He's a college boy who got the job because his father wanted it to be so.
He never did anything truly of significance within the Family; Yes, he murdered the Turk and McClusky, but any button man could've whacked them.
Unlike Sonny, he never associated with any of the Muscle end of the Family. Sonny had a crew of sorts and came up within the Family as it grew, at least during the War, likely guys who knew, liked and were picked by Sonny himself. Michael has Al Neri, but it's not the same as being a Capo for years or being in a crew.
Think about it this way: Tessio and Clemenza probably knew, worked with and brought up the members of their crews through the years, schooling them, and in this way created a bond, a relationship of sorts, with them. A mutual respect. Michael never had that. He went from being a civilian to being Acting Boss pretty much overnight in Mob terms. He never ran any rackets or showed he had any merit to be Boss.
Michael was also seen as being a bit of a goofball, at least prior to his killing the Turk. Everyone, even Tom, laughs at the idea of Michael killing Sollozzo and McClusky. He's not at all taken seriously. His saving grace was his cleverness--"put out that in the papers McClusky was a dirty cop involved in the rackets who simply got what he was coming to him"--But he was not street smart.
It's just amazing how none of the Capos or Soldiers wouldn't be the least bit pissed off that for all their years of service and loyalty, they'd be passed over for the Bosses kid son, the guy with the least amount of seniority and service rendered. You could say Tessio's betrayal was a sign of him being angry at being passed over, but I don't see his betrayal as being borne out of anger but out of perceiving Michael as weak and feeble, surely to bring about the death of the Family, due to his actions as Acting Boss. Even Michael understands that from all appearances--in the eyes of the Mob world--it's the smart decision. Tessio would be saving his Family from a seemingly inept Boss, becoming Boss himself, and possibly preserving some of the Family's strength in the process.
I mean putting Tom Hagen in as Consigliere was questionable, in Mob terms, but Tom showed enough dignity, intelligence and respectability to become accepted by the others as Consigliere. He showed that he had the merit to be Consigliere by the time Vito had died.
Michael's a guy who probably, while being vastly intelligent, has little to no street smarts. He's not a guy who came up on the streets and hustled and racketeered his way to the top; He's a college guy who I don't think would understand the world of a Willi Cicci or a Rocco.
I can't see Michael ever going out on collections or having bookies lay numbers on games for him, or simply buddying around with his Capos and Underlings.
Compare the way his father is viewed--Almost as a God by his Capos, and as a brother to his Consigliere--to the way Michael is viewed. He's not one of THEM. He's a college boy who got the job because his father wanted it to be so.